Sometimes It is Hard To Be a Mom.

Hello to my Daily Mommy News Friends.  I am going to be very honest and open today about being a mom.  First of all let me please say I absolutely love being a mom.  Being a mom was the best thing other than my husband that has ever happened to me.  I love my child more than life itself and would give my life for them in a heartbeat.  That being said being a mom is not easy.  There are thousands of books out there and even more people who want to give you advice on being a mom. But what all of those books and well meaning people need to understand is that motherhood cannot come with an instruction manual because all children are different.  It more than frustrates me when I hear moms go on and on about how perfectly behaved their child is because lets be honest please-no child is perfect.  When I hear these moms go on and on it also makes me doubt my abilities as a mom when I am having a bad day and just want another mom to listen not compare my child to theirs.  Overall my child is good but my child and I have been having a test of wills for a few weeks now and I find myself screaming more than I would like and already at their very young age my child is portraying me as the bad guy while they portray my husband as the perfect parent.  Just last night for example I found my husband fixing a toy and when I asked him why he was doing that he told me although he doubted my child’s statement he was told by our child that I had refused to fix it which in reality I was never asked to fix the toy nor did I know that it was broken.  I am already getting pre- teenage responses from a child whose age is in the single digits.  Everything seems to be a battle and I get up each day just trying to spend time with my young child knowing those moments are precious and that someday that they will not want to spend time with me. I start each day with a positive attitude but by breakfast after battling with just a small window of time before school to have my child eat, get dressed etc I already am frustrated.  I keep trying and trying to have patience but also I know that during these formative years my job is to be a parent and teach my child right from wrong so sometimes I admittedly overreact but it is so hard to find the balance between ignoring and disciplining.  This morning I reflected on my childhood to see what my mom did with me hoping with reflection on myself I could find some guidance because unfortunately my mom passed away so I cannot ask her.  I keep trying everything to make myself a better mom and feel like each day I try but lately have been failing miserably.  I want my child to be well behaved but I also want my child to enjoy being around me.  My mom was my best friend and I want my child to say that when she is my age.  So what I am trying to say is the next time a fellow mom asks you for advice please do not positively spin your advice.  Please be honest and admit your failures and frustrations because although we all love being a mom sometimes it is very hard to be a mom.  That is not a negative statement-it is an honest one.

Mommy Friendly Recipe-Year Round Barbequed Steak on the Stove!

Hi to my Daily Mommy News Friends!  I wanted to share the recipe below with you for steak which you can cook on the stove.  The recipe is great and very easy!  I love steak on the barbeque but that is difficult to do year around with the cold weather and rain.  We recently went out to dinner and ordered steak and unfortunately it has not been good at 2 different restaurants.  My husband planned to barbeque steak this past weekend but unfortunately our barbeque needs repaired so I used the recipe below which I have used about a dozen times and it has turned out great!  Many of my friends have asked me for it when my husband raves about how well I cook a steak on the stove (thanks to my husband for the compliment) so I wanted to share it with you.  I found the recipe online about a year ago on a steak enthusiast website and when I have used it my steaks have always turned out great!  I use New York Strip steaks and you can find 4 large New York Strip steaks at a reasonable price at Costco for much less than you would pay for a steak when you go out to a restaurant.  After our bad steak experiences at restaurants lately my husband says he will not have steak at another restaurant after I used the recipe below this past Sunday.

Enjoy!

Barbequed Steak on the Stove!

Ingredients

Olive Oil-I use Olive for the healthiness but vegetable oil would be fine too

Red Wine

Garlic

Lawry’s Seasoning Salt

Pepper

Worcestershire sauce

Garlic Salt

Your favorite steak-I use New York Strip Steaks but any Steak will do

Large deep non-stick skillet

Aluminum Foil

Directions

Marinate your steaks in Red Wine, Fresh Garlic or Garlic Powder and Worcestershire sauce for as long as possible. Bring your steaks to room temperature.  The cooking times given are for steaks about 1inch to 1 ¼ inches thick.

Heat your skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, and then add enough oil to cover the bottom of your pan to a depth about one-quarter of an inch. When the oil begins to smoke put your steaks in the pan about one-half inch apart.  Once they are in the pan let them cook until you can pick up the steak easily with a rubber spatula (about 3 minutes). An easy way to test is to see if the steak moves easily in the pan.  If they do not move easily wait a little longer. Then flip the steak and cook it 3 minutes more on the uncooked side. For medium rare steaks then turn the heat down to medium and flip them over to the seared side first.  Cook about 4 to 5 minutes and then flip the steak and cook 4 to 5 minutes on the other side.  Remove from the pan and place on a plate and cover with aluminum foil and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Daily Mommy News-Don’t Get Ripped Off!

I taught my child a lesson this afternoon and I wanted to also share the lesson with you in the hopes that you will avoid something that has happened to me on more than one occasion but today happened not once but three times at three separate stores and that was getting overcharged for items that I purchased or in my young child’s words “mommy you almost got ripped off!”

I am an extremely careful shopper all of the time but especially now in these uncertain economic times.  If the recession is over I have not seen evidence that it is.  So I went to 3 stores today-2 of which are large national chains that everyone claims are discount stores whose goal is to “save you money.”  I will not mention the names of the stores but trust me the stores I went to do not have saving us money as a true goal.  Last week I went to one of these national stores to buy an item and when I went to check out the item came up over 50 percent more than the price stated on the shelf.  I saw that as I was checking out and let the employee know that immediately whose response was “well that is what the computer said so that is the price.”  Wow-really, was this a response that you should give a customer-I do not think so!  So I asked for a price check and after waiting 5 minutes (I watched the time on my watch) the store employee sauntered back and said “give it to her, the price in the computer is wrong.”  No apology, no nothing just a begrudging “give it to her.”

Well reluctantly I went back to that same large store today, not because I wanted to but because I knew what I had to purchase was less there.  I had 5 items to get and knew that unfortunately the best place to buy them was there.  Again I did not want to go there but I wanted to save money.  So I went to check out and and all 5 items came up in the computer 25 percent higher than the price on the shelf!  Again I asked for a price check and got the same negative attitude and the last thing I wanted to do was wait especially with a tired and hungry child.  Yet again the employee came back after doing a price check and said the price on the computer was wrong and I was right!  Wow!  So I continued my marathon errand day and went to that store’s competition to get one item.

Upon reaching the other large name store to get my one item I checked out and looked at my receipt.  Not again.  I dreaded going to challenge this receipt as much as a root canal after dealing with it at the other store less than 20 minutes earlier.  But I did-what is right is right especially with my money.  Sure enough-the computer was wrong and they had not changed the sale price yet so my receipt was wrong-again!! So after winning yet another price fight I headed to my favorite grocery store.

As moms lets be honest we all dread going to the grocery store with our children.  In fact I ran into a friend of mine there who was without her children and she looked like a kid on Christmas morning and even told me she was having such a wonderful time grocery shopping by herself.  I understood the excitement in her voice and although she was talking about grocery shopping her excitement level was like she was at the spa!  So I quickly shopped and checked out and looked at my receipt and in incredible disbelief saw that an item that was on my receipt had been charged twice when I only bought one item.  Again I went to customer service and at this store if they do that they give you the item for free but even the customer service person said “this has been happening a lot.”

So in less than 3 hours I was overcharged at 3 separate stores-all large chains.  I was the one who noticed the overcharging by watching the computer cash register check me out and also instantly looking at my receipt.  As moms we all know how hard this is to do when you have a child in melt down mode as my child was today when I would not give them the free cookie they wanted from the bakery because they had not eaten well today.  But saving money is important and unlike the motto of the stores I was in they proved not only today but also on previous occasions where this has happened to me at least a dozen times that the price you think you are paying is not always the price that you are paying.  So check your receipts and as my young child told me today “mama nobody rips you off!”

Mommy Friendly Recipe Healthy Baked Chicken Caesar Salad Casserole!

Hi to my Daily Mommy News Friends!  I often love making salads for dinner and one of my favorite salads is Chicken Cesar salad but I very rarely have one because of the high fat content.  I designed the recipe below to be a healthy and easy version of Chicken Cesar salad that you can also bake on those cold winter days for a casserole. I tried this for the first time this week and my family loved it so I wanted to share it with you.  The moisture from the spinach leaves and mushrooms keeps the chicken breasts nice and moist.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Low fat Cesar Salad Dressing-I use Kraft low fat Cesar Vingarette

Fresh Spinach Leaves

Mushrooms

Garlic cloves or powder

Onion Seasoning or Onions I always used dried onions to taste

Garlic Salt

Pepper

Pam Cooking Spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a glass 13 x9 Pyrex with Pam.  Wash the spinach leaves and drain well.  Place the spinach leaves on the bottom of the pan for a bed for your chicken breasts. Cut the stems off of the mushrooms and scatter them in the pan.  Place the chicken breasts on top of the spinach and season the chicken and spinach with 2 garlic cloves or garlic powder, onion seasoning or cut onions, garlic salt and pepper.  Pour the Cesar Salad dressing over the chicken, spinach and mushrooms to well coat. Bake at 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes.

Enjoy!

The Most Important Advice I Have Ever Received as a Mom

Hi to my Daily Mommy News Friends!  I wanted to share some advice with you that has been given to me since the day that I had a child which is enjoy every moment because they grow up too fast!  I never really believed that but today that advice has hit me like a ton of bricks because it is true.  When I was dealing with diapers, nursing, potty training, “the terrible twos” which never happened until the “terrible threes and fours” I could not wait to get through that stage of my child’s life.  I could not wait for them to crawl and after crawling I could not wait for them to walk. Now that my child is in school I miss those days.  I just took a walk outside this morning with my dog and longed for the days when my child and I took our daily walks in their stroller and before they were talking I named everything to them so they could learn the names of new things.  That is the same child who now makes their bed, uses words about “being concerned” and “conservative” and the same child who was so excited to eat lunch with their friends yesterday climbed into the refrigerator to get the items for their lunch and packed their own lunch ice pack and all.  This activity was a surprise to me when I called my husband to thank him for packing my child’s lunch and when he told me he did not do it a tear came to my eye as I was also laughing at the realization that my child had packed their own lunch.  Yes my child still needs me and hopefully always will but in a different way now than they used to.  As I dropped them off at school today I found myself missing the days when they were too young for school and wanting them with me.  I was comforted though when my child ran down the hall to show me their major accomplishment of writing their name and especially the first letter of their last name without any mistakes on their first try.  I saw the look on my child’s face and will always remember that moment of pride.  So although I long for the past I love the present with my child and now on a minute by minute basis remember that I need to enjoy every moment no matter how challenging or how fun because they all are important because they do grow up too fast.  Remember that. 

Daily Mommy Family Recipe – Healthy Baked Citrus Almond Fish

 Daily Mommy Family Recipe – Healthy Baked Citrus Almond Fish

Hello to my Daily Mommy News friends!  In an effort to both stay healthy and not cook fish the same way over and over last night I got a little creative.  As moms I am sure you can relate to my nerves about cooking without a recipe but I created this on my own and it luckily turned out great!  My husband absolutely loved it and one of his first responses was “you have got to put this on your blog!”  So here you go.  You can really use this with any fish –tilapia, salmon or halibut would work great too but I just so happened to have catfish on hand so this recipe worked great.  The recipe is really a marinade and might also work well with chicken.

Ingredients

-Catfish or other fish filets

-Lime Juice-I use the bottled

-Lemon Juice-I use the bottled

-Orange Juice

-Olive Oil

-Garlic-fresh or garlic powder

-Dill

-Almonds (crushed)

-Pepper

-Any type of fish seasoning-I use and swear by “Chef Paul Prudhommes’ Seafood Magic Seasoning Blend” which you can find at any grocery store.  It comes in a white bottle and is very reasonable and we also use it to barbeque-my husband loves it.  I also use “Emeril’s All Natural Fish Rub.” which you can find at any grocery store.

-Lawry’s Seasoning Salt

-Pam Cooking Spray

 13 x 9 glass Pyrex Pan

Directions

 Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray Pam in a 13 X 9 glass Pyrex pan. In a small bowl combine 3 squirts of lime juice, 3 squirts of lemon juice and a splash of orange juice. Add 3 tablespoons Olive Oil, 2 cloves of garlic or about 1 ½ tsp of garlic powder, ½ tsp dill, 1/8 tsp pepper, ½ tsp fish seasoning and ½ tsp seasoning salt.  Add 3/4 cup crushed almonds.  Stir.  Using a knife spread the mixture on top of the fish.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.

Life Lessons That I Learn From My Child.

Life is about lessons.  My husband always says you always learn something in everything you do.  He is right.  This week has proven to be one of the most challenging weeks for me and to be honest it is Friday and I am tired of learning any more lessons this week.  As a mom it is my job to teach my child about life but I found that this week my child was the one teaching me more about life than I was teaching them.

This week I unfortunately sustained two injuries.  One I will recover from but one has done permanent damage.  The first one was when I hurt my wrist when I unfortunately slipped and fell on the ice outside my home while walking my dog. I am fine, very lucky because I could have hurt myself a lot worse.  Fortunately I did not break it or sprain it; just bruised it and bruises fortunately heal.  My wrist looks horrible on the outside and has taken on an interesting color of black and blue but I know in a few days the pain and bruises will go away.  I learned a lesson from my fall and that was although it is the afternoon and bright and sunny there still can be ice on the ground.  This lesson was a good one for me to learn as someone who grew up in an area of the country where it is sunny almost every day who now lives in an area where snow and ice have become unfortunately common recently.

The other injury unfortunately will not heal so quickly and that injury is to me from people who I believed were my friends.  As I grow older I realize the importance of true friends and I have friends whom I have been friends with for over 20 years who would do anything for me.  I also am lucky to have a handful of friends who I have known for a much shorter time but whom I truly believe care about me.  Then I have  some additional friends.  Those friends are who I believed in and opened my heart to and who also let me down this week and taught me a lesson. Unfortunately that lesson was not a good one; it was a lesson about being hurt.

A little background on me to help you understand.  I am not an overly outgoing person.  A few years ago when I was dealing with cancer I became a social recluse but when my year long battle with cancer was over I decided to be more outgoing and meet people.  I wanted to let myself meet people for the benefit of my family and also for myself. I found myself meeting a lot of people who I liked and although hesitant to open up I made friends and let my guard down.  I then was proud of myself for being the exact opposite of who I thought I was.  I was no longer a social recluse, I was a mom, a wife and a woman who was finding people with common interests and building friendships.  I began to open up and let people in again and loved the new friendships I saw developing.

That is why this week has been so hard.  I found myself having my heart broken again by a few people that I thought were my friends.  I found myself in tears, doubting myself, doubting whether or not it was all worth it to try to meet friends.  I found myself wanting to become reclusive again and not get out there and meet more people. I spent an entire day this week down and in tears about the whole situation and then there was one incident-a sign that brought me out of my heartbreak.

My husband has been wonderful through all of this.  He truly is my best friend and has seen me through all of my ups and downs and I can tell when I hurt it hurts him.  He has helped me a lot with this situation but the sign I had was from my child.  The entire day I spent in tears was a day that my child really wanted to play with me.  I found myself ignoring my child's request to play and instead just wanted to be left alone to deal with the hurt I was feeling from my friends. My child as young as they are sensed this and simply came up and gave me a hug and said "mommy I do not want you to be around people who hurt you."  That amazed me because I did not realize how perceptive my child was to the pain I was feeling from my situation.  I stopped crying at that moment and returned the hug my child was attempting to give me and realized that they were right.  Why was I losing time with my family being upset by people who chose to hurt me?  My child will only be a child for a short time but will be my child for the rest of my life.  I need to show my child that they are right so they learn the life lesson that they taught me which is when people hurt you which they unfortunately will that you should choose not to be around them. I am the one who is supposed to protect my child but they were trying to protect me.

So as I end this week glad that it is over because there has been a lot of hurt I also realize that I can protect myself from external injuries like my wrist and be careful not to slip on the ice. I have learned that lesson the hard way and all I need for a reminder is to look at my wrist.  But I also learned that I can try to protect myself from internal injuries through the lesson that my child taught me this week-do not allow people to continue to hurt you.  My child does not want me to be around people that hurt me and in their few years of wisdom they are wiser than I was this week.

Mommy Family Recipe-Healthy Raspberry Cupcakes!

Hello to My Daily Mommy News Friends!

I hope that you all had a great Valentine’s Day!!! I definitely did.  My husband went out of his way to make me and my child feel very special.  As you all know Valentine’s Day comes with lots of sweets.  I definitely love sweets but I am always looking for a way to make a sweet treat healthy.  So I have this recipe for you for a healthier version of Raspberry Cupcakes that is also very easy.  Now that Valentine’s Day is over if you are still craving sweets but want to save some calories you can enjoy the recipe below.

Enjoy!

Raspberry Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 Box of White Cake Mix-any type is fine, I usually go for the moistest I can find

Applesauce

Seedless Raspberry Jelly-100 percent fruit is best if you can find it.  Trader Joe’s has an excellent Raspberry Jelly

Cocoa Powder

1 Can of White Whipped Frosting

Raspberry Extract

Pam Cooking Spray

Paper Muffin Cups

Muffin Baking Pan

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put muffin papers in a muffin baking pan and spray with Pam Cooking Spray for easy removal and cleanup.

Follow directions on box of White Cake mix. Where the directions on the cake mix box call for oil for the same measurement of oil instead of oil to save fat and calories and to be healthier substitute ½ Applesauce and ½ Raspberry Jelly.  For more flavor you could use more Jelly and less Applesauce.  At this point add as much Cocoa Powder as you would like for a light chocolate batter. You could substitute Chocolate Cake Mix instead of White Cake Mix but the White Cake Mix has a lighter taste. Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes-check them at 10 minutes so you do not overdo them and burn the Raspberry Jelly.

Completely cool the cupcakes and then for the frosting I use 1 can of White Whipped Frosting and add Raspberry extract to taste.

Thanks-let me know what you think of this recipe!

Valentine's Day should not just be one day!

So tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and in my opinion is one of the highest pressure days of the year.  If you are single Valentine’s Day is a day to remind you that you are single and make you feel bad about that even if on the other 364 days of the year you are happy to be single.    I remember in my single days seeing all of my women friends who had boyfriends get flowers at work and I felt jealous.  On Valentine’s Day you want to be with someone even if that someone is not the right person.

Now that I am married Valentine’s Day has taken on a whole new meaning. My husband is very sweet and romantic and goes out of his way to make me feel special but now that we have a child those opportunities for romance are few and far between and often have to be scheduled and planned which often leads to the romance being sucked out of the situation to be honest. I have found myself planning for this day for weeks and while we are financially very conservative I wanted to make sure that I planned the perfect gift for him. I am not going to say what it is in this blog because he often reads it but I will let you know if he has a “wow” moment tomorrow when he sees his gift.  My husband who in his own sweet way has not been able to plan anything yet is as I write this at the store searching for the perfect gift.  To make it easier on him I gave him a list of things that would make me happy but now that he is gone with the list I have something to tell him that money cannot buy that I realized last night after almost a decade of being with my husband.

Last night I went and saw the movie “Valentine’s Day.”  It is a must see and without spoiling the plot for you the movie has a very important message for everyone-single or married.  The characters in the movie learn that love is accepting a person for who they are-faults and all and loving them in good times and bad.  Love also means that it is not all fireworks and romance-what the characters learned is what is most important is to marry not a person that you are just physically attracted to but to marry your best friend. As I was watching the movie I remembered that although I call one or two of my female friends my best friends and they are but my true best friend is my husband.  He has seen me at my best and at my worse and still loves me-that is a best friend. Attraction gets altered by the pressures of marriage and parenthood but if you have your best friend to be married to nothing can change that.

That being said whatever my husband is out there buying me right now does not matter. What matters is I married my best friend.  For those of you who are sad about tomorrow being Valentine’s Day don’t be.  Valentine’s Day should not be just one day of year on February 14^th. When you are married or single Valentine’s Day should be every day.  Valentine’s Day should not be about buying something to give that special person on that one day.  Valentine’s Day should be a day to start of a year of showing that person that you love them every day.  Tonight when my husband and I have our long elusive date night that we are not able to do very often I will look across the table at my Valentine and remember that Valentine’s Day is about spending it with the person you love, your best friend who in my lucky case is my husband.

Mommy Friendly Recipe for Valentine’s Day-Hot Baja Coffee

Happy Valentine’s Day to my “The Daily Mommy News” Friends!

Growing up my mom always made Valentine’s Day very special for me.  No matter how old I got she always called me “her Valentine.”  Whether it be the flowers she had delivered to me at work or home, the stuffed animals and heart shaped chocolates she gave me when I was my child’s age I always felt special on Valentine’s Day thanks to her.  Now that my mom is not able to spend Valentine’s Day with me since she passed away I wanted to in her honor share one of her special Valentine’s Day recipes that she always made for Hot Baja Coffee.  Enjoy and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Hot Baja Coffee

Ingredients:

8 Cups of Hot Water

6 Teaspoons Instant Coffee Granules-use more if you like strong coffee

½ Cup Kahlua

¼ Cup Crème de Cacao

Grated Semi-sweet cholate

Whipped cream

Directions:

In a Crock Pot combine the water, coffee granules, Kahlua and Crème de Cacao.  Cover and heat on low for 2 to 8 hours.  Top with whipped cream and grated chocolate.

Enjoy!

Carp e Diem Day

This weekend was yet another snowbound weekend where I live.  I dreaded what I saw as a punishment of being homebound due to Mother Nature’s cruel punishment.  My husband who grew up in an area of the country that sees dozens of inches of snow a year was tired of hearing my complaints.  I used to be the one who literally jumped up and down when I hear that it was going to snow-I have only seen snow 6 times in my life.  Now I try to bite my tongue and not curse in front of my child who has been to school a whopping 5 hours this month due to snow days. 

I had an attitude adjustment this weekend though when my husband after shoveling the driveway for two hours came inside and shouted “Carp e Diem”!  “We are going to go find a place to go sledding!”  Initially I thought he was crazy (but impressed that he was using his 4 years of Latin that he learned in high school). But in order for us to go sledding that would mean packing the car which he said he would not drive due to icy roads and driving to a place where we would get cold and wet.  But then I looked at 2 expressions-one was his and one was my child’s and I found myself instead of finding a million reasons not to go I decided that we would go and I would make the best of it. 

For the past few years after fighting and beating cancer I have tried to have a “Carp e Diem” attitude but often the demands of being a wife and mother often cause me to seize peace and quiet instead of “Seizing the day.” So we went to a beautiful local park where I as a person who has never been on a sled viewed all of the hills as Mount Everest while my husband viewed them as bunny slopes. My young child changed my mind immediately when they cried “mama lets go” as they were jumping on the sled with my husband.  As I saw them sledding down the hill instead of feeling my expected fear I felt an attitude of exhilaration-I felt myself laughing like I had not laughed in I cannot remember how long.  My husband and I both thought that I would be the one wanting to go home but as I found myself jealous of my young child wanting to spend time on the sled when I “wanted a turn”  I never wanted to leave.  When I did have my chance to sled I surprised my husband who thought I would never do it and found myself loving sledding!!

When we finally had to leave-not because I wanted to but because they were closing the park I found myself having a long needed reality check.  Life is too short as I found out when I was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago.  Although I beat cancer I often find myself losing out on the fun in life due to being too practical.  I could have insisted on staying home that day since our dinner was already on the stove, the house needed cleaned and many things needed done.  Instead I took an attitude of “Carpe e Diem” and seized the day.  We live in an area of the country where it very rarely snows. I will always have dishes to do, dinner to cook but may never have a day of sledding again with my husband and child.

Not that I needed verification that I made the right decision but my proof came that night when I put my young child to bed.  They asked me “mama what were those 3 words I learned today?”  I hesitated for a moment trying to figure out which specific words they meant and then I realized and answered “Carpe e Diem.”  My child agreed and said “mama we really carpe e diemed it today.”  Yes I know my child’s grammar was wrong but they were so right-we did seize the day.  Take a minute to Carpe e Diem today!

Mommy Family Recipe-Mexican Taco Lasagna Casserole!

Mommy Family Recipe-Mexican Taco Lasagna Casserole!!

Mexican Taco Lasagna Casserole

This is my mommy friendly recipe of the day and is what I am making for dinner tonight! I love Mexican food and have lived in 2 of the best states in the United States for Mexican food and I have eaten Mexican Taco Lasagna Casserole dozens of Mexican restaurants both in Mexico and in the United States. Unfortunately I now live in a state where after years of trying, I have not found good Mexican food so I often cook Mexican food instead of going out which is also both good on the budget but also healthier than most Mexican food in most Mexican restaurants. This is the best Mexican Taco Lasagna Casserole I have ever had.  It is easy too and healthy!  I received this recipe from my mother in law and have made it dozens of times and love it and so does my husband and child so I wanted to share it!

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 45 Minutes

Time before Serving: 10 minutes

Ready In: 65 Minutes

Serves 4 people.

Ingredients

1 Pound of Lean Ground Beef or Lean Ground Turkey (93/7 fat content works best, I use a lot of Ground Turkey in my cooking-Costco sells Butterball Ground Turkey which is wonderful!)

1 Package of Corn Tortillas

2 ten ounce Cans of Mild Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (you can use red if you prefer but I always use green for something unique)

1 Small can of chopped Mild Green Chiles

2 cups of either shredded Sharp Cheddar or shredded Mexican cheese blend

Chopped Onion-use as much or as little as you would like

Corn Tortilla Chips-(sometimes for something different you can use the lime flavored tortilla chips but the regular ones are fine too)

One package of dry taco seasoning

Lime Juice (optional)

Cilantro seasoning (optional)

Pam Spray

Large circular casserole dish or 13 x 9 Pan

Directions

Brown ground beef or ground turkey in skillet. If you have the 93/7 fat content ground beef or ground turkey or the Butterball Ground Turkey you do not need to drain your beef/turkey because there is not enough fat there to drain.  Add chopped onion (to your taste) and chopped mild green chilies while beef/turkey is browning.  When the beef/turkey is browned add taco seasoning and water according to the directions on your taco seasoning packet.  At this point if you choose to you can add 2 or 3 squirts of lime juice and cilantro seasoning or fresh cilantro to your taste.

In your circular casserole dish (or your 13x 9 pan) spray the dish or pan with a little Pam. This helps with cleaning later. Then layer your enchilada sauce (about ¼ cup for each layer) then tear your corn tortillas into pieces and place them on top of the enchilada sauce. Then put at least two large serving spoons of the ground beef/turkey mixture on top of the corn tortillas and then a handful of the shredded cheese mixture on top of the ground beef/turkey.

Repeat the layers, the more layers the better. For your last layer after you put the shredded cheese on top crush some of the tortilla chips then the remaining enchilada sauce and then finally your cheese (cheese will be on the very top). 

Cover and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. After it comes out of the oven allow it to sit out covered for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Mommy Theme Song of the Day “I Did It My Way” by Frank Sinatra

Mommy Theme Song of the Day “I Did It My Way” by Frank Sinatra

Do you know that Frank Sinatra Song “I Did It My Way” which starts with the line “Regrets-I’ve had a few?"  That is the theme song of my opinion of my parenting skills right now.  As I have said in past blogs I love my child more than life itself and would give my life for them.  On the majority of the days my child is far from perfect but overall is good. For some reason, recently though I have found myself being more impatient and short tempered with my child although. I do not know the definite reason behind my impatience.  I could list a few reasons-we have been snowbound for 6 days and there is another snow storm coming, lack of sleep, I have had a cold, I have been driving my husband crazy and not in a good way, but I cannot pinpoint the real reason. 

 I am going to give you a little background for you about my parenting knowledge to help you understand.  I came from a divorced family like a lot of us did. My mother who died a few years ago was my whole world and my best friend.  She passed away long before I met my husband and got married and had children so I never was able to receive any parenting advice or marriage advice from her so most days I feel like I do not have a clue about how to be a good mom.  Those of you who complain about the advice that you receive from your mother do not realize how lucky you are to have her until she is gone. Remember that.  So when I need advice I usually go to my friends for help which helps a lot but I tend to take the advice and tailor it to my current situation and do it “my way”. 

Most days as I am sure many of us feel I am proud of the job I am doing as a mom.  Recently my days have been quite the opposite.  These are the days where my child actually wants to spend time with me and I find myself telling them “maybe later” or “ I am busy” or “please do not ask me again.”  Over the past 6 snowbound days my child has asked me to play every game imaginable, play with every toy and listen to every story and although I have agreed to most of their requests I definitely have not agreed to all of them.  I have longed for a return to my daily routine that has been ended by the snow.  Days of working, taking my child to school, running countless errands, socializing with adults instead of being the social director have been put on hold due to the snow.

Now today my child is returning to school and my daily routine that the snow put on hold is back.  I find myself sad that I will not be able to spend the whole day with my child playing and doing my child’s latest favorite activity which is watching “The Price Is Right” with me.  My child had never seen a game show prior to 2 days ago and now loves watching it just like I did with my mom growing up.  My friends have told me what a wonderful time they had over the past few snowbound days without a complaint. Now I know that might have been for my benefit so they would not appear negative but I feel guilty.  The days that Mother Nature gave me to play with my child are gone and I did not take full advantage of the time I was given. 

So the next time I have just to spend time with my child I will remember the song “ I Did It My Way”  and instead of saying “Regrets I Have a Few”  I will be smiling with the sweet memories of the time I was given. 

Mommy Friendly Recipe-Amazing Carrot Cake!

Mommy Friendly Recipe-Amazing Carrot Cake!

Let me just start by saying I am a cook, not a baker.  Not a professional cook mind you, just a mommy who has a career of thinking of a menu on a daily, minute by minute basis for my family like all of us moms.  This is a daily challenge that we all face.  That being said I love to cook but I dread baking.  I am not a stay at home mom who fills my days with thinking of which cookies that I can make for my child’s class party or bake sale. Don’t get me wrong-I often volunteer to do so but on the rare occasion I have baked I have literally ran in the classroom and quickly handed my child’s teacher the voluntary baked good a.ka hockey puck I have made for that day in the hopes the teacher forgets the origination of the hockey pucks.  I mean lets all admit it as moms we try to make something phenomenal in the kitchen but just as you are stirring the cookies or timing them in the oven is when your child who of course was fine when you started the baking ordeal decides to have a meltdown.  Or as you are carefully measuring ingredients your child has called you by their name of choice which at this point for me is “mama” which although on most days I love hearing but when you are concentrating on cooking you wish you could tune your child’s voice out ;]  Even today when my child who I would give my life for is home with me for the 3^rd school snow day but the 6^th days we have been snowbound chooses to call me “mama” which I love hearing I wish I could enter the witness protection program and just change my name until the snow melts ;]

That being said there is one thing that I can bake and that is the Carrot Cake Recipe that my mother-in-law gave me 8 years ago. I wanted to give this to all of my Blog Friends as a gift-it is an amazing recipe!  My husband loves it and the true test is he asked for it on his birthday this year.  That normally would not have been an issue because my husband is a saint and even though if I cook something he does not really care for he compliments it over and over again-that is love.  So for his birthday I decided as one of his presents I would bake his mom’s Carrot Cake.  For days before I built up the excitement and then went and bought all of the ingredients which for me seals the deal that I will be baking-but then I got the phone call that as moms we all fear when we are doing the baking endeavor.  My mother- in- law called to tell me that she and my father- in- law would be joining us for my husband’s birthday.  I love my in- laws and was looking forward to their visit but unfortunately my mother- in- law already knew I was baking “her” Carrot Cake so the pressure was on.

As the day approached I was nervous to bake the cake let alone bake “her” cake in front of her.  All of a sudden my husband’s birthday cake became a test that I needed to pass for my mother-in-law. My husband and I have been together for almost a decade but a little background for you-I had just baked my mother-in-law a cake 2 months prior for her birthday which in a way to give me some helpful advice she let me know I had left it in the oven too long and that was a Betty Crocker Cake, not “her” Carrot Cake. So on my husband’s birthday I set out on the impossible task to bake the cake with my mother-in-law supervising a.k.a. helping me bake it.  Let me say she was helpful and supportive during the whole process but it was nerve racking-I wondered if there was a way I could break down and cry during the whole thing but instead I had my daughter- in- law voice that I could make this.  As the beating of (the ingredients-not me) and the measuring went on I saw her watching but I kept saying to the voices in my head “I can do this.”  The cake came out of the oven at 10 am but I knew that the true test would not be until after dinner.  So I kept glancing at my test all day praying that it would be good.  Finally when the moment arrived and the candles were lit for my husband I could not bite into the cake quickly enough.  YES!!!!!!!  I thought to myself-this is darn good.  My husband could not compliment it enough.  But the true victory came when my mother-in-law after her first bite said “I could have not made this any better.”  WOW!!!!! 

So now that you know the story behind this cake I want to share it with you.  It is foolproof and is a recipe that your family and even your mother-in-law will love.

Also I have a helpful hint for you that I learned the hard way.  If possible use new flour, baking soda and baking powder.  In the past in an effort to save money I used old ingredients and the cake fell and was a disaster.  This time I used all new ingredients.

 My Mother-in Laws Amazing Fool Proof Carrot Cake

Prep Time: 30 Min 

Cook Time: 45-50 min-check with tooth pick in center at 45 min. Based on your oven-mine took 48 minutes. 

Ingredients:

Cake

2 Cups Sugar

4 Eggs

1 ¼ Cup Vegetable Oil

1 teaspoon Vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons Baking Soda

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

2 teaspoons Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Salt

4 Cups Grated Peeled Carrots (I buy the 5 pound bag of “Earthbound Farm Mini Peeled Carrots” at Costco and put them in my food processor).  I do not as a mom have time to peel and grate carrots, plus the one time I did I lost skin off of my fingers and it took hours to grate!

¾ cup raisins

¾ cup walnut pieces

Frosting

8 ounce brick of softened cream cheese

½ stick butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 box of confectioner’s sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat sugar, eggs, vanilla and vegetable oil together with mixer until thick.  Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together and blend into egg mixture. Fold in carrots, raisins or nuts.  Bake in greased/floured (I used “Pam”) 13 x 9 cake pan.

While the cake is cooking make the frosting.  This makes a lot of frosting and I have overdone it so be careful not to over frost the cake ;]  For the frosting make sure your cream cheese and butter are soft and beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and confectioner’s sugar until fluffy.  My mother-in-law insists that if you leave the frosting out of the refrigerator it spreads easier.  Make sure your cake cools about an hour before frosting.

Enjoy!!!!!

Mommy Friendly Recipe-Chicken Tortilla Soup!

Crock Pot Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is my mommy friendly recipe of the day.  This is the best tortilla soup I have ever had and I have eaten tortilla soup in dozens of Mexican restaurants both in Mexico and in the United States.  It is easy too and healthy!  I received this recipe from one of my best mom friends and love it and so does my husband and child so I wanted to share it!

Prep Time: 10 Min 

Cook Time:8 Hrs 

Ready In:8 Hrs 30 Min

Original Recipe Yield 8 servings 

Ingredients

1 pound shredded, cooked chicken-(I used the already cooked bag of Foster Farms cut up chicken strips from Costco)

1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes-Mexican seasoned is best,

1 (10 ounce) can green enchilada sauce

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green Chile peppers

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups water

1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Directions

Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chilies, and garlic into a Crock Pot slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.

Nutritional Information 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 262 | Total Fat: 10.8g | Cholesterol: 46mg

Mommy guilt on sick days

I am sick today of all days!  I have a cold.  Usually that would not be a big deal except today is a lovely snow day from my child's school.  The reason I call it “lovely" snow day is that I live in an area of the country where it supposedly never snows.  That being said we got snow on Saturday and more snow is expected this week.  So I have a cold, and my child wants to go outside and play in the snow.  I am delaying it as long as possible because I do not want to be sick at the same time my child is.  Is that selfish of me?  My child has had their fair share of snow this weekend.  Between making snow angels, sledding with Daddy and building snowmen our family has taken full advantage of the wintry wonderland.  But today my husband is at work and I have a cold and my child has no school. The roads in my area are icy and it is doubtful if the kids will have school tomorrow.  So as guilty as I feel my child is still in their pajamas at lunchtime, watching TV, my house is a mess and I feel like I was hit by a truck. Although I feel guilty for not doing much today knowing I will be snowbound at home for several days allows my cold to overcome my guilt!  Mommy guilt is the worse.  I should be cleaning house, cooking laundry, planning meals (okay dinner is in the crock-pot) but instead my motivation is just like the snow-frozen.  Mommies do not get sick days and when we do we feel guilty about taking them.  When I worked full time I never felt guilty about taking a sick day so why do I feel so guilty now?

A moment my child will never forget

My husband swears that I am wrong when I tell him I remember things that happened to me when I was very, very young that I did with my mom.  I do not want to argue with him so I let it go.  My mom died several years ago so I cling onto those memories and at the same time I find myself trying to create memories with my young child that they will never forget.  Today is one of those memory days-both for my child, for my husband and for me. I grew up in an area of the country where I never saw snow and now live in an area that was covered by almost a foot of snow today. From the moment they woke up this morning my child was begging to go outside and counting the moments. Our child's practical parents (one of which grew up in an area where it snows 9 months of the year) convinced our child to wait until after lunch which for them was the equalvent of Chinese Water torture but for us was the delay of the inevitable being cold and changing into clothes and drying and hanging up of clothes.  Finally after lunch we delayed the inevitable and walked outside with our puppy, our young child, our video camera, our camera and our recent acquisition of a sled that a wonderful friend of mine gave me yesterday with the mere request that my child would enjoy it.  I was honestly dreading the cold-although I now live in an area of the country where seasons are the norm my blood still has not realized that and I chill easily. My child though was like a child at Christmas who could not wait to get on the sled that my husband "McGuvered" (okay you children of the Eighties know what I mean) up so it had straps and a pull cord- (he was so proud). So dad and child went up the hill in the neighborhood and slid down the hill in the sled and I honestly do not know which one of them was more childlike-my young child or my husband. We had so much fun and daddy and our child even made snow angels and then we went inside and had hot chocolate.  So as I look around my kitchen several hours later and see wet coats, hats, gloves, shoes and scarves I look at everything as not an inconvenience but a memory that my child will tell their spouse someday that their spouse will doubt the accuracy but my child will never forget!

You only have one....

Let me start by saying I love advice from my mom friends.  But I am so tired of hearing one statement which I heard today for the millionth time that infuriates me which is "you have it easy, you only have one."  Yes I only have one child who I would give my life for but I do not have it "easy."  Moms of mutiple children have different pressures than I do-yes. But moms of only children still have pressures. I am my child's sole playmate at home, entertainer, friend and confidant. Most days I love that but on days when I need to get some things done around the house it is not an option to tell my child to go play with their brother or sister. We desperately wanted more than one child but circumstances do not allow that to happen so we put all of our love into our one child who we were blessed and lucky to have.  I do not have it "easy"  I just have it different.  Please remember that the next time you talk to your mom friends who have only children.  Although you act jealous of how they have it "easy" until you walk in their shoes do not judge their lives.

My child told a lie not an "untruth"

We have all been there as moms. We are running around in the morning attempting to get out of the door. It always seems that no matter how hard you try you always run. This morning was my normal running routine-take a 3 minute shower (1 minute longer than I usually get) get my child up for school and get myself dressed, her dressed, feed everyone including the dog breakfast and run to school for my child and work for me. I call it the "mom blinders" when I am so focused on the finish line of the front door that I forget or ignore the hurdles in the race to get to the finish line. This morning there was a big hurdle. I asked my child a question and I knew the answer that I received back was not the truth. So knowing I was not being told the truth I asked two more times and received the same response. I was furious but wanted my child to admit that they were lying and not have me tell them that I knew they were. So an hour went by and then my child finally admitted that they had not told the truth. I was livid but still had to get out the front door. Although my child was remorseful I did not want the lesson that lying was wrong not to be taught so our conversation on the way to school and after school was how lying was wrong. I told the story to one of my mom friends who said it was wrong to tell my child that they told a lie-I should call it "an untruth" and that she thought I was being too hard on my child. Although I appreciated my friend's advice I wanted to call a lie a lie. I think that our children are being taught political correctness enough already and I refuse to let political correctness enter into my discipline. I do not want my child to think it is ever acceptable to lie no matter how big or small. Lying is never acceptable at any age. There are too many examples in society and the media where lying is seen as acceptable (John Edwards, Bill Clinton, Tiger Woods) just to name a few and I do not want my child to ever think lying is okay. Lying is not an "untruth" it is a lie.

The Daily Mommy News: Is it a new Vacuum or a diamond?

The Daily Mommy News: Is it a new Vacuum or a diamond?